Exercise

The benefits of regular exercise for people of all ages have been well established
in the literature. Regular physical activity and exercise are associated with decreased
risk of death and/or disability from pathologies such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes,
arthritis, cancer and pulmonary disease. It is also associated with positive psycho
- logical benefits such as decreased depression and improved quality of life. Nevertheless,
inactivity continues to be a major public health concern with people not exercising
as recommended. By dispelling misunderstandings and increasing understanding of the
new recommendations for physical activity, individuals can once again find the time
for exercise.

What Type of Exercise Do You Need?

The National Institute on Aging and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
both recommend performing different types or kinds of exercise. Participation in all
four types of exercise is needed for the full health benefit of physical activity.
The types of exercise are balance, endurance or aerobics, strength training or weight
lifting, and stretching or flexibility. The key to fitness is to do all four of the
major types of exercise regularly and increase your level of intensity over time.

Balance exercises

Balance exercises help prevent falls, not anuncommon problem in older adults. Falling is amajor cause of broken hips and other injuries thatoften lead to disability and loss of independence.Some balance exercises build up your leg muscles,while other exercises focus on your stability.Examples of balance exercises include severalstrength exercises for the lower body such as sideleg raises and toe stands, as well as stability exer-cises such as heel-to-toe walking and the storkpose (standing on one foot with arms held out to the side).

Endurance exercises

Endurance exercises increase your breathingand heart rate. They improve the health of yourheart, lungs and circulatory system. Increasedendurance keeps you healthier and improvesstamina for daily activities. Endurance exercisesmay also delay or even prevent many diseasesassociated with aging, such as heart diseaseand diabetes.

Examples of endurance exercises are walking,jogging, dancing and playing tennis.Strength training makes you stronger bybuilding muscle. This increased strength allowsyou to perform daily activities on your own.Strength training also plays a key role in keep -ing obesity and diabetes at bay by increasingyour metabolism, which helps you maintain ahealthy weight and normal blood sugar levels.Additionally, studies suggest strength trainingmay help prevent the progression of osteoporosis.Examples of strength training exercisesinclude lifting or pushing free weights, pullingresistance bands and using strength-trainingequipment at a fitness center or gym.

Stretching exercise

Stretching exercises keep your body flexible by stretching the muscles and tissues that hold your bones together. While exercising, rate your perception of your total feeling of exertion, combining all sensa-tions and feelings of physical stress. Lookingat the rating scale below while you are engag-ing in an activity, choose the number that bestdescribes your level of exertion.

Strength exercise

Strength training makes you stronger bybuilding muscle. This increased strength allowsyou to perform daily activities on your own.Strength training also plays a key role in keep -ing obesity and diabetes at bay by increasingyour metabolism, which helps you maintain ahealthy weight and normal blood sugar levels.Additionally, studies suggest strength trainingmay help prevent the progression of osteoporosis.Examples of strength training exercisesinclude lifting or pushing free weights, pullingresistance bands and using strength-trainingequipment at a fitness center or gym.